Brief Description:
This trail has itís ups and downs and scenic views in woodland, an open
field, and paved area around the lake. It is a hike around the
perimeter of the 165 acre park and along North Mouse Creek where beavers
are sometimes seen. I am leading this hike for both the Cherokee and
Hiwassee Hiking Clubs. Children accompanied by an adult and dogs on a
leash are welcome. We will start at the area around the lake, then hike
along North Mouse Creek, then wooded areas, and back to the trailhead.
This is a nice gentle hike to get us out after the holidays and snow.
THIS IS A JOINT HIKE WITH THE HIWASSEE HIKING CLUB.

Directions to the Trailhead:
See Google map link above. Click the Trailhead Access Map button. From Cleveland:
The park is located on Hwy 30 West (Decatur Pike). From Cleveland:
Take I-75 North to first Athens Exit, then turn right onto Hwy 30 toward
Athens. The park is approximately 1 mile on the right.

From Etowah take Hwy 30 through Athens all the way to the
park. The park is approximately 1 mile on the left from the Hwy
11(Congress Parkway) and Hwy 30(Decatur Pike) intersection.

Plan to meet
at the trailhead at 2PM. The mountain bike/hiking parking lot is the first turn
to the left after entering the park. This trail has its ups and downs and
scenic views in woodland, an open field, and paved area around the lake. It is
a hike around the perimeter of the park and along North Mouse Creek where beaver
are sometimes seen.

Trail Description:
This trail was created for mountain biking, but is open to hikers. We
will start by hiking on a trail by the pond. Then we will hike the trail
itself. What follows is our route in reverse. This description is
from a
mountain biking site. The
start of the trail is a short steep section with a couple of switch
backs. The trail splits at the top, both ways are about the same
distance and they come back together shortly. The trail the follows the
ridge until it gets to a radio tower, then starts back down toward the
creek. Here it splits again. You can either choose downhill (better for
hikers) or Roller Coaster (great for bikers). At the bottom, you follow
the creek. This is the highlight of the trail. You follow the creek all
the way back close to the parking lot. This is the most scenic part. The
park has restrooms. The trailhead is on the left as you enter the park.
(Description from the Chattanooga Area Singletrack Alliance website)

Post Trip Report:
Ten club members and Percy,
Marcís Bullmastiff, hiked the 3.1 miles on this overcast afternoon with
temperatures in the high fifties. Parts of the trail had been under
water until today as a result of the heavy rainfall Saturday morning.
We chose higher grounds to avoid gross mud in some areas. There were
nice evergreens. One species of interest was Oregon Grape shrub.
Richard Fosterís knowledge of plants came in handy in identifying plants
such as cross vine in its winter form. We started at the lake,
proceeded along North Mouse Creek, progressing to wooded areas, open
fields, and back to the trail head having hiked the perimeter of the
park. The only animals we saw were Angus cattle in a field on the
opposite side of North Mouse Creek. Hikers were: Rebecca Levings,
Richard Foster, Ann Gray, Marc Bernatti, Aggie Scott, Effaleda Lee,
Robert Lee, Martha Firestone, and Boyd Firestone, and hike leader Jane
Bohannon.